Cornelius Chronicles

   It's been a wonderfully fun summer break, but I'm getting too tired and too pregnant to be of much fun. The kids are beginning to climb the walls in boredom.  Everyone is ready for another school year to begin this week.  Bekah will begin a new academic year as a very mature 1st grader.  She is very excited for this new title and reminds everyone who is interested that she indeed did pass Kindergarten.  I took Bekah shoe shopping for the first time last weekend for a nice pair of school shoes.  In the past I have just picked up whatever was on sale and what looked like it might fit.  However, I think Bekah is old enough now to have an opinion and needs to make sure her shoes are comfortable before we commit to a pair.  It was just the two of us and a mission to find the perfect pair of sneakers.   Bekah had two requirements.  They had to light up and they had to be good "tippy-toe" shoes.  She likes to walk on her tippy-toes for fun.  I just wanted

 Summer is winding down and we are slowing getting ready for school to begin again.  But, we couldn't miss out on a perfect day for the beach this week.  We took advantage of sunny weather, calm waves, and warm water to play outside.  We had fun splashing in the water, squishing through the sand, and playing with our friends.  We even found a hermit crab and were able to watch a lot of little fish jump out of the water only to return and nibble at our wiggly toes.  It was a fun trip.  :)  We wish you could have come too!

After 6 weeks of classes, a summer of practicing nearly every day, and a show of great determination Rebekah finally passed Level 1 Swimming!  Good job babe!  Your commitment to accomplish your goal of passing your class and your perseverance in practicing payed off.  You can do hard things!  Now we are ready for Level 2 next summer.  :)

Summer is speeding by and I can  hardly believe it's August.  I am in the final few days of my second semester of school, Bekah began swimming lessons again, and we have all been finding ways to keep busy and have fun.  Here are just a few pictures of our recent adventures.      We love living so close to the beach. It is relaxing to listen to the roar of the ocean, squish your toes in the wet sand, and cool off in the salty water.  Here are some snapshots of the kids playing in the sand at Galveston.  I just love their team work as they worked to dig a deep whole for their own swimming pool.  :)  Ah, young love.  This is Xavier and one of his cute little friends sharing a tender moment as they watch a train drive by.  Xavier is working on becoming as much of a lady's man as his big brother Loyd.  I'm going to have my work cut out for me when these handsome young men hit the teen years! We went to the end of summery reading party at the Helen Hall Library a